Officers had seized and searched the rubbish truck after the 23-year-old from Dunfermline went missing after a night out.

But no traces of the RAF gunner were found and the load of the wheelie bin was deemed too light to include a body after it was incorrectly measured at 1st 10lb.

Detective Superintendent Katie Elliott said: "Through the persistence of officers and their detailed work we recently identified that the data provided was incorrect.

Fame Flynet

The family are now believed to be preparing for the worst

"We now know the weight of the waste collection from the ‘horseshoe’ on the night Corrie went missing was over 100kg, when the original information we were given indicated that this was 11kg, and this makes our search of the landfill the next logical step to try to find Corrie."

Police said the company which provides the data usually charge per collection, not per weight of load collected.

"It appears that it was genuinely believed by the company that the data provided was correct," Dt Spt Elliott added.

"There was no intention to mislead the investigation, however our discovery, through persisting with this through our enquiries and evidence gathering, now puts a new emphasis on the search."

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Last week waste disposal worker Haydn Stephens was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice - he will face no further action

Suffolk Police said searching the landfill site was the "next logical step" after the vehicle's waste load was found to be far heavier than first thought.

Police today confirmed a man arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice over the disappearance of the RAF gunner will face no further action.

The 26-year-old, believed to be Haydn Stephens, was quizzed by detectives over information provided to the investigation after being arrested last week.

Officers have confirmed he is not the driver of a bin lorry which collected waste from the area where Corrie was last seen.

Dad-to-be Corrie was out with friends on September 24, but became separated while leaving Flex nightclub in Bury St Edmunds.

It is not known whether he tried to walk the ten miles back to his base at RAF Honington.

Suffolk Constabulary

Police are also now looking for this witness who was seen in the area at the same time as Corrie was last seen - this person has not been arrested

Suffolk Constabulary

The second person police would like to speak to as a witness - this person is not the man who was today arrested

Five months after Corrie vanished - cops confirmed the arrest last week and released previously unseen CCTV footage of two potential new witnesses.

Writing on Facebook immediately after the arrest was announced, his mum Nicola said: "Update. Police have arrested a 26-year-old male on suspicion of attempting to pervert the cause of justice as part of the continuing Corrie McKeague missing person investigation.

"The man was arrested early today Wednesday 1st March. He is in custody and will be interviewed. He is not the bin lorry driver.

"Please view the new images of the 2 people still to be identified."

Facebook

Corrie's mum, a Scottish police officer, posted an updated about the arrest on Facebook

A map showing where Corrie's phone travelled after he was last seen

SWNS:South West News Service

His mum Nicola has been heavily involved in the search effort to find her son

Fame Flynet

Corrie's stepmum Trisha looked tearful as she walked round the landfill site

Corrie's phone was receiving social media data almost 90 minutes after he was last seen – first in Bury St Edmunds and then again in the Barton Mills area, 13 miles away.

The times and locations are consistent with the route taken by a private, single-manned Biffa dustcart which collected cardboard waste from the bin area Corrie was seen entering.

It arrived at 4am and left 20 minutes later after the driver filled out paperwork.